Page 3 - Artane News Today

Ireland's prime minister, Simon Harris, gave a formal state apology on Tuesday to the families of 48 young people who were unlawfully killed in a fire at a Dublin nightclub in 1981.

"We failed you when you needed us the most, from the very beginning we should have stood with you but instead we forced you to stand against us," said Mr Harris.

'We are sorry. We failed you.'

The Taoiseach will make an official State apology today to the families of the victims of the Stardust fire.Simon Harris met with family members  Saturday, ...

Taoiseach Simon Harris read out the names of each of the 48 victims to the Dáil, along with a few words about their personalities, hobbies and dreams.

Simon Harris told the families today that the State failed them when they needed it most.

This was not a test of his decision-making – it was a test of his ability to perform as Taoiseach

Stardust survivor Antoinette Keegan, who lost two sisters in the fire, has hit out at Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey after he addressed the Dáil today following the Taoiseach’s state apology to the families.

The families of the 48 young people who died in the 1981 blaze at a Dublin nightclub fought for more than four decades to get justice. This is their story

The Stardust was a disaster waiting to happen due to the persistent failure of successive governments to deal with fire safety in buildings to which the public had access — notably discos, hotels, pubs and nightclubs. And much of the blame for this lack of action lay with senior officials at the Department of Local Government.